lesson
:1
PROPAGATION OF LIGHT
(REFLECTION AND
REFRACTION) AS EXPLAINED
BY THE WAVE AND PARTICLE
MODELS
THE GENG GENG SQUADS
What is true of light, is it a wave or a flow of extremely small
particles? This has been the debate of scientists for so long.
Newton concluded in 1700 that light was a group of particles
(corpuscular theory) but at the same time others thought that it
was a wave (wave theory). Light travels in a straight line so
Newton believed that it was a flow of particles coming from a
light source. However, it cannot explain wave-like phenomenon
such as diffraction and interference. On the other hand, the wave
theory cannot explain why photons fly out of metal that is
exposed to light (known as the photoelectric effect)
which was discovered at the end of the 19th century. In this
manner, the great physicists have continued to debate and
demonstrate the true nature of light over the centuries.
In this lesson, you will learn the different evidences that
proved light can propagate either as a wave or a particle.
This lesson will help you understand how light behaves as a
wave and as a particle. A better understanding of reflection
and refraction of light will be gained after going through this
module.
Rene Descartes was the first who studied and explained the
concept of refraction. He used a spherical glass filled with water
and sunlight to produce a rainbow. He explained that refraction
brought about the formation of rainbows. He then used a prism
to observe the emergence of colors of light.
He also explained the emergence of colors of light through the
concept of the plenum, the invisible substance that permeated
the universe. He visualized that the plenum was made of tiny
rotating balls with the same speed. Light travelled through this
plenum. As the plenum reached the edge of a prism, the balls
changed their rotational speeds resulting to the emergence of
colors.
example:of spherical ball with
water inside(by Rene Descartes)
example:of plenum (by Rene
Descartes)
Sir Isaac Newton also studied the emergence of colors of light
through a prism. He stated that the difference in refraction was
due to the differences in the mass of the colors of light.
Particles of matter also exert equal force to the particles of
light. The colors of light with different mass and inertia will be
deflected at varying degrees.
Example:of
prism(by
Isaac Newton)
Activity 1: Dual
Property of Light
(A Wave and a
Particle)
Light can behave both as a wave and as a particle. As particles, they
travel in straight lines, thus, producing shadows when they hit an
obstruction.
It is also the reason why light bounces off or reflects off of mirrors.
Refraction is alsobrought about by light particles when they traverse
through media or materials ofdifferent refractive indices. It is thought that
opposing forces pull the particles of light from and into the medium
resulting to changes of their direction. The photo- electric effect is also an
evidence that light behaves as particles. When light with enough energy
falls or hits a metal, electrons are dislodged or knocked off from it to
produce a positive (+) metal surface. The amount of light energy (known
as photon) contains a fixed amount of energy or quantum that depends on
the frequency of the light.
Light also acts as a wave. It has the ability to diffract or
bend around an object. Diffraction involves a change in
direction of waves when they pass from an opening or
around obstacles along their path. Refraction happens
when light waves change direction as they travel
through materials of different refractive indices, say
water and air. Light waves also undergo interference,
the phenomenon that occurs when two waves meet
while traveling along the same medium
Activity 2:
Reflection and
Refraction of Light
Reflection and refraction are phenomena that are well-
explained by the behaviors of light. When a source
emits light, its dual property can be observed in
different circumstances.
Light, as waves, spread in all directions when emitted.
Upon impacting a smooth, specular surface, such as a
mirror, these waves bounce off or reflect according to
the arrival angles. The waves turn back to front as they
reflect producing a reversed image.
On the otherhand, light can also arrive at the mirror
surface as a stream of particles. Since these are very
tiny, a huge number are involved in a propagating light
beam. Upon arriving a smooth surface, the particles
bounce off in different
points so their order in the beam is reversed resulting
to a reversed image. A beam of light undergoes
refraction when it travels between two media with
different refractive indices.
Light, as waves, changes direction upon passing from first medium
to second medium. A small portion of each angled wavefront should
impact the second medium before the rest of the front reaches the
interface. This part will travel along the second medium while the
rest of the waves is still travelling in the first medium. Movement will
be slower through the second medium due to higher refractive
index. Since the wavefronts are travelling at different speeds, light
will bend into the second medium, thus, changing the angle of
propagation.
Refracting particles of light should also change direction upon
passing
Thank
you!
